With that question in mind, everyone opened the note Montedan had left behind.
"Clearing the stage by exploiting a loophole was a feat in itself. But what matters most to me isn't the result. It's teammates studying a monster's weaknesses together and learning to work in sync; it's the bond forged on the brink of death; it's the courage to throw everything into the fight for victory."
"So, personally, I cannot give you my approval."
"That said, your performance had its merits. The way you combined two magic arrays, in particular, nearly turned challenge mode into ordinary difficulty. Even by my demanding standards, I can't deny that."
"As compensation for withholding my approval, I'll let you pass the assessment outright."
"I hope you achieve a perfect clear of the Nereid stage."
"—Montedan, who sincerely wishes you well."
After reading the note, everyone slowly raised their heads and exchanged glances.
Each saw the same speechless look in the others' eyes.
Silence hung in the air for a long while before Gray Porcelain broke it. "Montedan is so willful."
Gray Porcelain found it hard to accept that Montedan disapproved of them simply because they had used magic arrays to take a shortcut.
"Perhaps we just have different principles," Rabbit Girl said suddenly.
Angel and Gray Porcelain turned to her.
Rabbit Girl hesitated, then said softly, "Perhaps Montedan believes more strongly in following the prescribed process. After all, Wonderland Authority created him. Of course he'd be more inclined to uphold the method it intended for clearing the stage."
Gray Porcelain didn't quite follow, but Angel understood what she meant.
It was the difference between a fair process and a fair outcome.
Or, put another way, which mattered more: following the rules along the way, or achieving the desired result?
That was indeed a